1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to exhaust systems for commodes and, more particularly, to a commode seat assembly for removing noxious fumes from a commode bowl and exhausting the fumes to a remote location.
2. Description of Related Art
Noxious odors and gaseous fumes present in commodes and in the space about commodes have always been normal but an unpleasant result attendant commode use. These odors and fumes are especially prevalent in areas containing many commodes and in a small bathroom containing a single commode. Over the years, various venting systems have been developed to remove the odors resulting from normal commode use. These systems have worked with greater or lesser degrees of success, depending upon their design and configuration of components. In most cases, each of the prior art commode venting systems has required a specially configured bowl to collect and channel odors in response to operation of a gas exhaust system. To implement such apparatus requires replacement of an existing commode, which may involve new plumbing fixtures or at least detachment and reattachment of water and sewage lines. The labor for such removal and installation work is expensive and the costs for replacing a commode are not insignificant.
Another group of prior art devices includes a plenum chamber disposed within a pivotally mounted toilet seat. The chamber is in fluid communication with the interior of the toilet bowl through a plurality of apertures disposed about the interior surface of the toilet seat. These devices require complicated and expensive exhaust handling apparatus. Moreover, the attendant structures impose upon the space about the commode to an extent sufficient to be considered intrusive.